The Sports Institute at UW Medicine

What The Sports Institute at UW Medicine does

The Sports Institute at UW Medicine is a research institute within the University of Washington School of Medicine, founded in 2013 as the UW Medicine Sports Health and Safety Institute and renamed in December 2018. Its work focuses on sports safety, concussion prevention and management, physical activity promotion, and sports injury research, serving youth athletes, healthcare providers, patients with chronic conditions, schools, and the general public. Programs span concussion legislation, digital health, educational content, clinical research, and school-based physical activity initiatives. In July 2025, the institute transitioned from the Department of Neurological Surgery to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, aligning with its rehabilitation focus.

Name

The Sports Institute at UW Medicine

Legal name

The Sports Institute at UW Medicine (University of Washington)

Website

https://thesportsinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sports Institute at UW Medicine is a University of Washington research institute developing sports safety, concussion prevention, and physical activity programs including the ExerciseRx AI/ML platform, GamePlan film series, and The Daily Mile school program, funded by research grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Medicine Research

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Medicine (HLAKALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Medicine, Athletic Training & Rehabilitation Services (EDALAIAH), Strength & Conditioning / Performance Training (EDALAIAI), Strength & Conditioning / Athletic Performance Training (HSADAEAB), Sports Rehabilitation, Return-to-Play & Performance Therapy Centers (MPAKAJAO)

Keywords

• Sports medicine research
• Concussion safety programs
• Exercise prescription platform
• Digital health research
• Youth athlete safety

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Grants: ExerciseRx platform is funded through research grants. Research grants cover a portion of costs associated with the platform.
2. Donations: Donations support the team that makes research tools available. The institute accepts donations through the University of Washington.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sports Institute at UW Medicine is a research institute that develops evidence-based sports safety and physical activity programs, including the ExerciseRx digital health platform (AI/ML-powered patient app with EHR-integrated provider dashboard), the GamePlan Film Series (educational training films on concussion and spinal injury management), Mental Strength Training for young athletes, and legislative advocacy such as the Lystedt Law framework adopted across all 50 states.

Product overview

The Sports Institute at UW Medicine operates as a sports safety and physical activity research organization offering multiple interconnected programs. The core digital health product is ExerciseRx®, an AI/ML-powered platform with patient app and EHR-embedded provider dashboard for personalized exercise prescription. Supporting programs include The GamePlan Film Series (educational training films on concussion and injury management), Mental Strength Training (mental health skill development), Spine Injury in Sport guidelines, The Lystedt Law (concussion legislation framework), Sports Legislation Tracker, Husky Fellowship (training program), Exercise Anywhere (activity promotion), and Faculty Research initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ExerciseRx® A digital health platform integrating AI/ML and exercise sensing technologies to provide personalized physical activity recommendations, with a patient-facing mobile app (iOS/Android) and a provider dashboard embedded in electronic health records (EHR). Available free to participants enrolled in IRB-approved research studies.
• The GamePlan Film Series Educational training films on sports safety topics including concussion management, spinal injury response, and equestrian safety, freely available for non-commercial educational use by medical professionals and athletic trainers worldwide.
• Mental Strength Training Program helping young athletes develop critical coping strategies and mental health skills through sports.
• Spine Injury in Sport Training program and film developed with NATA and NCAA providing recommendations for on-field spinal injury management for athletes, with over 100,000 views and integration into medical and athletic trainer educational programs worldwide.
• The Lystedt Law Concussion return-to-play legislation framework pioneered in 2009 requiring removal of athletes with suspected concussions from play, requiring concussion education, and requiring clearance by a licensed medical professional before return to sports. Adopted by all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
• Sports Legislation Tracker Tool tracking youth sports and physical activity legislation across states.
• The Daily Mile USA Free school-based physical activity program launched in partnership with The Daily Mile Foundation in September 2019, encouraging children to run or jog for 15 minutes daily to improve health, concentration, and learning. Implemented in nearly 10,000 schools with over 1.9 million students participating.
• Husky Fellowship Fellowship program at The Sports Institute for training and research in sports medicine.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5% concussion rate identified in youth football (ages 5-14)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Daily Mile FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2019Partnership to launch The Daily Mile in schools across the United States. The Daily Mile is a free school program encouraging children to run or jog 15 minutes daily to improve health, concentration and learning.
• UW Department of Rehabilitation MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEffective July 1, 2025, The Sports Institute transitioned from the Department of Neurological Surgery to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. This move represents a strategic alignment rooted in shared purpose and complementary strengths in sports medicine and rehabilitation.
• UW Computer Science & Engineering Ubicomp LabcoreTechnology or IntegrationDevelopment partner for the ExerciseRx digital health platform, providing AI/ML expertise and novel exercise sensing technologies using consumer smart devices.
• UW Human Centered Design and Engineering (HCDE)coreTechnology or IntegrationFaculty partner contributing to the ExerciseRx platform development, focusing on human-centered design principles for patient and provider usability.
• University of Washington Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating hospital in ExerciseRx research across multiple medical specialties, integrating the platform into routine medical care.
• Seattle Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating hospital in ExerciseRx research, including Multiple Sclerosis rehabilitation research and concussion studies.
• National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed development of updated recommendations for on-field spinal injury management for athletes. Partner in Spine Injury in Sport Group (SISG) and research publication collaboration.
• NCAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on spine injury in sport guidelines and research publications. NCAA adopted similar guidelines to the Lystedt Law.
• Harborview Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarborview Injury Prevention and Research Center (HIPRC) serves as research publication partner. The hospital treated Zackery Lystedt after his catastrophic brain injury, leading to the Lystedt Law.
• Seattle Medic OnesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm partner for the GamePlan training film series on spinal injury management and emergency response.
• UW AthleticssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the GamePlan film series production, contributing to sports safety content development.
• The DistillerysupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFilm production partner for the GamePlan training film series on spinal injury management.
• Four Corners Youth ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium co-founded by The Sports Institute to research concussions in children ages 11 to 17. Includes Seattle Children's, UCLA, Children's National Hospital, UT Southwestern, Wake Forest, University of Rochester, and University of Utah.
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for ExerciseRx platform studies in cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation.
• Hospital for Special Surgery (New York)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating hospital in ExerciseRx research, expanding the platform's reach to the East Coast.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mass General Brigham Sports Medicine: Major academic sports medicine program with strong research output and clinical integration; comparable to TSI in its blend of research, provider education, and policy/guideline development.
• Hospital for Special Surgery: Top-tier academic orthopedic and sports medicine hospital with a research and clinical footprint directly comparable to The Sports Institute; an active ExerciseRx research partner, indicating shared operating model and patient populations.
• Children's National Hospital: Pediatric academic medical center participating in the Four Corners Youth Consortium alongside TSI; comparable in pediatric concussion research, clinical care, and multi-site study execution.
• Stanford Sports Medicine: Academic medical center sports medicine program combining clinical care, research, and policy/advocacy — closely aligned with The Sports Institute's hybrid model of research, education, and clinical integration.
• UCLA Health Sports Medicine: Academic sports medicine center and a partner in the Four Corners Youth Consortium; operates a similar research, clinical, and education portfolio around youth athlete safety and concussion.
• Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine: Large academic sports medicine center with research publications, clinical programs, and concussion/safety-related initiatives that mirror TSI's evidence-based, multi-stakeholder approach to athlete and active-population care.
• Seattle Children's Hospital: Pediatric academic medical center and core ExerciseRx research partner; operates the Sport Concussion Program and pediatric rehab research similar to TSI's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA): National professional association for athletic trainers; co-develops spine-injury and concussion guidelines with TSI and is a broad incumbent in the same sports-safety ecosystem serving similar audiences (athletic trainers, schools, providers).
• CDC HEADS UP: Federal public-health initiative on concussion and brain injury safety; an incumbent in youth sports safety with overlapping mission, content-distribution model, and audience (coaches, parents, schools, providers).

Emerging players

• Omada Health: Digital therapeutic for chronic-condition prevention and lifestyle change with employer/health-plan distribution; partial overlap with ExerciseRx's EHR-embedded, condition-management positioning in chronic-disease prehabilitation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/TheSportsInstituteatUWMedicine
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSportsInstUW
• Xx.com/TheSportsInstUW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sports-institute-at-uw-medicine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sports Institute at UW Medicine